Avatar Book 4: Air: Chapter 2: The Last Airbenders
by AkuraIce
Summary: This is where Aang fully meets the last airbenders and accepts his new task. This is the second in my volume of Avatar Air fics. Please review. : Warning: Contains small Kataang. Yes, I am a die-hard Kataang Fan.
1. Chapter 1

Avatar Book 4: Air Chapter 2: The Last Airbenders

Aang stared bug eyed at the people before him. Up until now, he had thought he was alone, cursed to carry the burden of being the last airbender to his grave. But here stood about 40 or 50 airbenders, clearly masters by the looks of their tattoos. One of the elderly airbenders stepped forward. She reminded Aang of the herbalist he met while he was trying to get a cure for Katara and Sokka. "I am Kumi. We have waited for you, young airbender." Aang looked at her, confused. "You knew I was coming?" The old woman smiled. "We have known this for quite some time. We knew what events would need to occur in order for you to reach us, so we wanted to speed you on your way. That's when we left for the Earth Kingdom." Aang gasped. "_That's_ why you weren't here when Katara, Sokka and I came here during the winter." Sokka interrupted. "Wait, why did you go to the Earth Kingdom?" Kumi smiled at Sokka. "We knew that the Avatar would have to speak to the vine bender in the Foggy Swamp, but you wouldn't land, so we had to do something. Aang's eyes widened in realization. "It was _you_ who sent that tornado that knocked us into the swamp. No wonder it disappeared so fast, it was controlled by airbenders!" Kumi chuckled. "Yes, we're sorry about that." Aang started running round in circles. " Oh my -gosh -there –are- other- airbenders- I'm -not –the- last one- I knew it -Am I talking to fast- I can't tell- I'm not the last one!" He continued to run around until he ran it to a rock wall created by Toph. He fell down. "Thanks." He said. Zuko looked around at the airbenders. "How'd my mom find you?" Ursa stepped forward. "After I was banished, I tried to hide somewhere that I would be safe in case the Fire Nation thought of some worse punishment for planning Azulon's death. So, I went to the Southern Air Temple, thinking that since it was deserted, I would be safe, and not imposing on anyone. Aang looked at her, confused. "But, you need a sky bison to get into the air temple. How 'd you get in?" Toph snorted. "Sozin got in without sky bison, didn't he?" Aang glared at her. Ursa continued. "When I got to the base of this mountain range, I camped inside a small cave a few about a half mile from here. I was sleeping one morning when I was woken up by a big, cold nose". She smiled at Appa. "It was a sky bison, just like yours, young Avatar. I laughed so hard my side hurt. These air monks must have heard me laughing and came down to investigate. I tried to explain to them that I was not in allegiance to the Fire Nation, but it was Kumi who convinced them to let me live with them." "I still think we should have interrogated more…" mumbled a 16 year old airbender boy towards the back. Kumi turned to him. "Quiet, Ariko you must excuse my grandson. He hasn't been the same since his parents, Manu and Sang, were killed at Sozin's hand." Ariko looked away. Ursa cleared her throat and continued. "It was here I waited, wondering if you and your sister were okay. By the way Zuko, where is Azula?" Zuko's features looked grim as Katara lowered her head. "She cracked. Azula went insane. I can still hear her screams"… Zuko's mind flashed back to the Fire Nation courtyard. The flaming byproducts of he and Azula's battle licked all over the buildings as Zuko, still slightly dazed by repelling Azula's attempt to cheat and kill Katara, looked down at his incarcerated sister as she writhed and flailed, wracked with sobs. There was not one ounce of pity on his face, but he still felt sorry. So much talent… so much bitterness… so much evil… He was brought back to the present by the feeling of his mother's hand on his face. "She had to face it, Zuko. She wrote her own destiny. You wrote yours. You need to let it go." Zuko looked away. Aang turned to Kumi. "Why did you want to meet me?" He asked. Kumi's smile faded. "Ah, I fear I do not bear good news, young Avatar. You see, you have not mastered all of the elements." Aang was taken aback at this comment, but then relaxed. "Its okay, a lion turtle already taught me how to spirit bend." Kumi looked at him gravely. "There are 4 earthly elements, and 3 Spirit Elements, two of which only the Avatar can master. You have mastered Water, Earth, Fire, Air, and Energy. You have yet to master Light and Shadow. Aang looked confused again. "Light and Shadow? The monks never told me about those." Kumi sighed. "In the era before the elements, there were but two. Light benders, also known as Neonists, were the true first fire benders. They used the sun's energy itself to create beams that they could bend into any shape. Shadow benders, or Noxists, did the same thing the light benders did, but they used shadows and darkness. The Shadow benders were corrupted by the very nature of their element, and tried to annihilate the light benders, but they were banished into the Netherlands of the Spirit World by two spirits you may have already met, Tui and La." "Wait," Aang stopped her. "I thought Tui and La were the Moon and Ocean spirits." Kumi smiled again. "That is their earthly form. In the Spirit World, they were the Spirits of Balance. Yin and Yang." Aang's eyes widened. "Whooooaaa!" Kumi nodded. Toph blinked. "But, that was over 1,000 years ago. Why do we care?" Kumi frowned. " The Shadow benders' imprisonment is not permanent. They can be unleashed by a powerful energy field, such as…" "Me coming out of the iceberg." Aang finished. Kumi nodded again. "Yes, the spiritual energy released from your Avatar Spirit when you were freed from the iceberg opened a gap in the Veil between the Spirit World and the physical world, allowing certain creatures to escape, such as Hei Bai and the Shadow benders." Aang shrugged. "And?" Kumi looked at him grimly. "The good news is that when the Shadow benders were freed, the spirits were scattered around the Earth Kingdom. If you can destroy their dwelling habitats, you can stop them for good. If you don't, the Shadow benders will be undefeatable." Aang breathed deeply. "Okay, what do I have to do?" Kumi pointed towards the setting sun. You must seek the Elder who sits upon the Eastern Mountain of the Wind in the Eastern Earth Kingdom. His name is Pathik." Aang smiled widely. "Hey, I know Pathik! He helped me master the Avatar State… or at least he tried." Aang's mind flashed back to him leaping from the eastern Air Temple, leaving behind Pathik's disappointed face. "I won't let him down this time." Katara put her hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. "C'mon Aang, it seems we've got a lot of work to do." Zuko, Toph, Katara, Sokka and Aang boarded Appa and waved good- bye to Kumi. "Appa, yip yip!" Aang cried as they flew into the rapidly setting sun.


	2. Chapter 2

Previously, on Avatar…

Avatar Aang has recently defeated Phoenix King Ozai. Zuko has been crowned Firelord, and he now knows the whereabouts of his mother. The Gang sets out to find her, but are in for a big surprise when they find who she's living with.

Book 4: Air

Chapter 1: Fire Lady Ursa

The scarlet sun rose steadily over the Eastern Earth Kingdom Sea as Avatar Aang bathed in its warmth. He leaned against the balcony of the Jasmine Dragon and inhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh ocean air. Hearing his stomach rumble, he pulled a peach from his robe and took a big bite, savoring the soft sweetness. His mind flashes back to a mountain adorned with blue spires. The Southern Air Temple. He sees Gyatso trying to teach a younger Aang how to make fruit pies. Not for eating, though, but for hurling at the other air monks. Aang returns to the present, lost in thought. He hears footsteps behind him. He whirls around to find Katara standing a few feet behind him. She put up her hands in mock surrender. "Whoa, calm down it's just me." Aang lowers is hands and turns back around. Katara's playful smirk turns into concerned frown. "Aang, what's wrong?" He sighs. "I just see you and Sokka with your father, were going out to find Zuko's mother…It's just sort of lonely, not having a family. Katara smiled. "What are you talking about, we're your family," She whispered before planting a kiss on his cheek. Aang looked at her. Katara frowned with realization. "Oh, you mean the airbenders." She touched Aang's shoulder. "I know losing the airbenders hurt you, Aang, but you still have us. You still have me". She kissed him again before going back inside. Aang earthbended a small hole and planted his peach pit, then followed Katara. When he got back inside, everyone had shed their leisurely Earth Kingdom robes, and were all dressed in their clothes from the Day of Black Sun, except for Mai. Zuko turned to her. "Mai, aren't you coming?" Mai sighed a gloomy sigh. "I'm not in the mood for traveling miles on a flying cow to find a woman you thought was dead for 6 years. Too awkward." Then she smiled and pulled him into a kiss. "Say hi to your mom for me, Zuko." She whispered when they pulled apart. Once Aang had changed, he looked at Zuko. "Ready to do this?" Zuko bowed his head, and then raised it again in determination. "I'm ready."

Aang squinted through the sunlight at the fast moving terrain below them. "If my map is correct, my mother is camping somewhere on the outskirts of a town called Gaoling." Toph's sightless eyes opened wide. "That's where I used to live!" she exclaimed. "Until my parents turned went all jerkish, and sent those two dunderheads after me. I wonder where they went after I shut them in that cage. Zuko gulped. "There it is!" Sokka pointed to a small town with a grandiose building at the head. "Appa, yip yip!" Aang guided the gang to a spot right outside the walls of the city. Katara jumped down and took off running. "Katara, where are you going?" Aang yelled after her. Katara turned around and hunched over, a pained expression on her face. "Let's… just… say… the ocean isn't the only thing holding a lot…mph! of water." She resumed running. Aang blushed, unsure of what to say. Zuko jumped down from Appa's saddle. "According to my map, my mom's camp is that way. Zuko pointed to a grassy slope a few miles away from the Bei Fong estate. Aang sprung his glider and flew up to a tall redwood. Perched on the tall plant, he squinted his eyes. "There" he exclaimed, pointing to a richly adorned tent on a nearby grassy slope. Zuko, Suki, Sokka and Toph ran in the direction Aang was pointing. When they reached the campsite, an elderly woman was just emerging from the tent. Zuko stopped in front of her. The woman looked at him curiously. "Who are you, young man?" She asked nicely. Zuko bowed his head in grief. "It's not her." He said dejectedly. "She's not my mother." The woman smiled apologetically. "Hello, my name is Yensa. I'm sorry I'm not the person you're looking for. I was just taking my weekly camping retreat with my granddaughter. It relaxes the mind." The woman called back to the tent. "Jin, we have company!" A young woman came out of the tent, apparently having just waked from a nap. Zuko gasped when he saw her and tried to hide his face, but he was too late. "Lee?" she said, squinting. "Lee!" she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Aang raised an eyebrow. "Lee?" Jin frowned. "Yeah, well, that's his name…isn't it?" She turned to Zuko. Somehow he just couldn't lie to her. "My name's not Lee. Its Zuko." Jin gasped. "The banished prince? You lied to me?" Her eyes started to well with tears. Zuko sighed, his voice heavy with remorse. "I told you it was complicated." Jin looked up at him. "But if you're from the Fire Nation, how'd you get that scar?" Zuko bowed his head. "When I was 13, I attended a war meeting. A general wanted to use some new recruits as bait to sneak around and attack the Earth Kingdom warriors from behind." Jin gasped. "That's awful!" Zuko continued. "I know. I told him it was wrong, but it wasn't my place to speak. By disrespecting the general and out bursting in my dad's war room, I had disrespected him. The only way to regain my honor was to duel him." Zuko ignored the others' looks of horror, and continued his tale. "I didn't want to fight him, so I begged for forgiveness. My father saw it as weakness, so he gave me this," Zuko pointed to his scar, "and banished me from the Fire Nation. The only way I could regain my honor was to capture the Fire Nation's greatest threat. The Avatar." At these words, Zuko turned to Aang. Aang blinked. "So that's why you tried to capture me? You needed to regain your honor because you were banished for trying to save a whole division's lives? Whoa." Zuko nodded. Jin looked at him. "I never knew… I'm so sorry." Zuko turned away. "Don't be." Yensa clapped her hands. "Well, I think a nice pot of tea will make everyone feel better." As she started to the tent, something fell out of her back pocket. Zuko bent to pick it up, then realized it was a picture of him, as a toddler. "This is a picture of me." He said in astonishment. Yensa looked confused. "Well, I picked it up for Jin. Apparently she knew who it was, because she was going to frame it." Zuko looked at Jin, who was blushing furiously. "Someone flying overhead dropped this picture." "Who?" Zuko asked, excitement rising. "She was on some kind of big buffalo… like that." She pointed to Appa. "Aang jumped down. "A flying buffalo…like a sky bison?" Yensa shrugged. "It was a big flying buffalo. Oh, and it had an arrow on its head." Aang turned to everyone else. "That _is_ a sky bison!" Just then, Katara returned, looking quite relieved. "You wouldn't believe how much water my bladder was holding. I thought I was going to explode, I had to go so bad." Sokka started chuckling a little, but stopped immediately when Katara gave him a threatening look. "Katara!" Aang ran over to her. "This lady said she saw a sky bison!" Katara frowned. "It was probably us, Aang." Aang shook his head vigorously. "No, she said there was a woman on it." Zuko turned back to Yensa. "Where did she go?" Yensa pointed to the semi foggy horizon. "She went somewhere in that direction." Aang mounted Appa and turned his head. "C'mon, let's go, Zuko." Zuko bowed to Yensa. "Thank you for everything." As he turned to leave, Jin stopped him. "Wait, can I give you something to remember me by?" Zuko nodded and held out his hand. She took it and pulled him to her, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye, _Lee_." She giggled before going back into the tent. Yensa waved as Appa took off soaring into the semi overcast sky. After flying over the ocean a few hours later, Aang's eyes opened wide. "Aang, what is it?" Suki asked. "Home." He said simply. Everyone gasped as they slowly drew closer to the southern air temple. As they landed, a woman emerged from the temple. She was wearing a flowing scarlet robe and her hair was in the shape of Katara's when she was in disguise as a Fire Nation colonial. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Zuko. "Mom." He said hoarsely. They embraced each other, just like so many years ago before she was banished. Ursa held Zuko close to her body, as if she would never let him go. "Zuko, my baby." Ursa held Zuko's head in her hands. He smiled, relishing the sight of his long lost mother's face. Then, Ursa saw his scar. "W-what happened to your eye?" Zuko looked away. "You don't want to know." He said darkly. Aang jumped down from Appa's saddle. "Why are you living up here?" Ursa turned to him. After I was banished, I wandered the world until I was found by these kind nomads. "Who?" Aang asked. Just then, about 40 or 50 people dressed in orange, yellow and brown emerged from the temple. Tattooed men and women looked at Aang curiously. Suddenly, Sokka accidentally dropped a bag off of the saddle. One of the men stepped forward and created a tornado to catch the bag. Aang's eyes widened. "Airbenders." To be continued…


End file.
